Glassboro summer school program able to break even

GLASSBORO — School district officials hoped new legislation allowing it to charge in-district students for summer school tuition would be enough to keep the service alive in the borough.

The district, with one of the only in-person summer school programs in the county, pushed for the legislation last year, hoping that the measure would keep the programming operating in the black.

The month-long summer school ended Wednesday, with a total of 254 in- and out-of district students who brought in about $59,000.

According to Glassboro Schools spokeswoman Heather Simmons, the district is expected to break even this year, instead of the coming close again to ending in the “red.”

“We wanted to help offset the cost of running summer school so we could continue to offer it,” said Simmons, whose district was the catalyst for the legislation that adds in-district student tuition to the out-of-district tuition districts were already permitted to collect.

Of the 50 Glassboro students that enrolled, only 17 qualified to pay the in-district tuition that totaled about $2,300. Under the new law, students that receive free and reduced lunches do not have to pay the tuition that runs between $100 and $200 per course.

Students outside of the district pay $250 to $150 for every course.

“We’re estimating that we probably broke even,” said Simmons, noting that the expenditures for the 2011 summer school have not yet been fully tallied.

Last year, program tuition generated about $63,000, but it cost $60,000 to pay instructors and put the program on.

“From a business model, you want to see a profit, but this service isn’t about making a profit,” Simmons said. “While $2,000 isn’t going to be a savior of the program, it indicates every effort on our part to make it as affordable as possible for our tax payers.”

In 2010, Glassboro School District officials realize decreasing enrollments of non-residential students. Enrollment has dropped in the past several years from 700 students a summer to just over 250 in 2011. Many students in other districts are catching up on class work by taking online courses, Simmons said.

“When we had 700 students in summer school, the program paid for itself and also paid for Glassboro students to attend the program,” she said.

The district was part of the push for the legislation that was passed last year. School officials worried enrollment issues, which left the program’s budget in or near the “red” several years in a row, would be discontinued.

“Although the amount isn’t huge, it looks like it is going to help us break even this year,” Simmons said.

District officials think the prospect of paying tuition could be an incentive for students to perform better academically during the school year.